After seeing that the bird feeder had lost all of its contents again, I removed it from its hook and refilled it with sunflower seeds. It’s a cute little bird feeder painted to appear like a red home, and the reason I like it so much is because the squirrels can’t get inside. One minute later, there was a flurry of activity as chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice flew back and forth, snatching seeds before taking flight and then returning for more. Apparently, these men had other plans than just having a meal for food shortage 2022. Take a look at how winter shortages are taking place!
It has been discovered that some birds save seeds for the next year. Our present feathered friends, the chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice, will continue to visit our bird feeders even when the songbirds have migrated south to warmer climates where food is available throughout the year. In addition to doing so, they will congregate throughout the winter months, searching for additional sources of nourishment and subsisting on what they have stashed away.
Food Shortage 2022
We are all putting food away for the next colder months. I store it in large quantities in jars that I keep on the shelf and bags that I keep in the freezer. The birds store individual seeds, often in crevices in the bark of trees or the crooks of limbs. Some species of birds will conceal their food by hiding it behind mulch or shingles, in the rain gutters of roofs, or gaps in siding. Some species of woodpeckers bore holes in tree bark to store acorns, whereas blue jays bury their food. The smaller birds have a pattern of storing food within 150 feet of the source of the food, which in this case is the feeder. This leads them into the woods.
Several species of animals, including humans, will store food for later consumption if they come upon a convenient supply. Some of these creatures will do so in more rational areas than others. Thanks to our resident mice, I discovered pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and dog food tucked up in the corners of my boots and under various pieces of furniture. Because of this, we may refer to them as “larder hoarders” rather than “scatter hoarders,” which is what the birds are.
The Squirrel Approach
The gray squirrel is a scatter hoarder, meaning it will hide a few seeds, nuts, or other rewards at once and then disperse them all over the yard and the surrounding woods. The red squirrels, who are their smaller relatives, are expert larder hoarders. They store their food by stuffing holes in trees or the ground and covering them with leaves. The red squirrels will even dry food like mushrooms in order to store it for a longer period of time. Some of the chipmunks and squirrels have been hoarding squash and pumpkin seeds, and they have even hollowed out some of our winter storage, which is now drying on a table close to the garden.
Animals Storing Food
In addition, chipmunks are known to be larder hoarders since they are known to create subterranean food caches before entering a state of semi-hibernation for the winter. Larger animals, such as bears, store some food, but throughout the autumn, they focus on putting on as much weight as possible by eating as much as possible before retreating into their dens for the winter. They decrease their metabolism and sleep in order to live off the fat that they have stored up, similar to chipmunks. They do not go into a complete state of hibernation; rather, they enter a state of torpor or dormancy, which is a condition of slowed down activity. During this time, they wake up periodically to consume part of the stored food.
Bottom Line
In order to avoid suffering food shortage 2022, the animals are consuming food, concealing food, and taking food from each other’s caches to keep themselves occupied. When spring arrives, we will discover some of those lost seeds in the garden when groups of sunflowers, pumpkins, and squash begin to grow in locations where we have never planted them. When that time comes, we will have already emptied most of our own storage space, and we will be looking forward to the return of the songbirds.
Feature image: Pixabay
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